West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-08-18
INSURANCE.
SERMON BY REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
Something Concerning Underwriters i'm
This World. and Insurance For
The World TO Come.

OF Egypt IN the SeUeH pieRteOuS Years"
Genesis xii, 81.
These were the words of Joseph, tho Presi-
dent OF the first insurance company that
the world ever saw. Pharaoh had "A dream that
distracted him. He thought he stood on tho
banks of tho River Nile, and saw coming up
out OF the river seven fat, sleek, glossy cows
and they began 10 browse i'm The thick grass
Nothing trightful about that But after
. them, coming out OF the same river, he saw
seven COWS that were quaint and starved and
the worst looking cows that had ever been
seen IN the land, and in the ferocity of hunger
they devoured their seven fat predecessors
Pharaoh, the King. sent for Joseph 10 de
cipher these midnight hieroglyphics joseph
made short work of 1t, and intmatcd the
seven fat cows that came out of the river
are seven years with plenty 10 eat the
seven emaciated cows that followed them
arc seven years with nothing TO eat
oNFSow, SAID joseph, LET us take one.
ntth OF the corn crop OF the seven
prosperous years and keep il as a provision
ior the seven years in which there shall be no
corn crop" The King took tho counsel
ana appointed Joseph, because Of his integ-
rlty and public spiriteduesS rs the President
OF the undertaking. The farmers paid
one fifth Of their income rs a premium In
all the towns and cities of the land there
We're branch houses. This great Egyptian
me insurance company had millions of dol
lars as assets After awhile the dark days
came and the whole nation would have
starved IL had not been for the provision
tney had made for the future. But now
theSe suffering families had nothing 10 do
but 60 up and collect the amount of their
life policies. The Bible puts il i'm ono short
phrase: I'm all the land OF Egypt there was
bread. say this was the first life insurance
company II was dvinely organized IL
had in 1t all the advantages of the whole
lie plan, of the "tontne PLAN of the ere
served endowment plan and all the other
good plans. We are told that Rev. DR.. An
nate, OF Lincolnshire, England. ORIGINATED
the first life insurance company i'm lG.lS MOI
II is as old as the corn cribs of Egypt: and
Tod himself was the author and originator
IL that were not so | would not take your
time and mine i'm sabbath discussion of this
subject. ] feel il is a theme vital, religions
and of infinite import, the morals of life and
fire insuran @
About ten or twelve years ago there was n
great panic IN life insurance which did good
Under the storm the Enthusiastically and bo.
gus institutions were scattered while the
genuine-wyra tested and firmly established
and where does the life insurance institution
stand to-day. What amount OF comfort Of
education, of moral and spiritual ADVANTAGE
IS represented IN the simple statistic that in
this country the life insurance companies i'm
one year paid S1,OJO,JOO to the families of the
berett; and in five years they paid $500 900
600 to the families of the bereft; and are
promising TO pay-and hold themselves in
readiness TO pays 900 $4,000 TO the fami-
lies of the berrftl
They have actually paid out more by diyi-
dends and death claims than they have ever
received in premiums. / know of what I
speak. The life insurance companies of this
country paid more than 5000 900 of taxes TO
the government i'm five wears So instead of
these companies being indebted to the land
the land Is indebted TO them. To CRY ont
against life insurance because here and there
one company has behaved badly j, as absurd
as 1t would be for "A man to burn down l 600
acres OF harvest field in order 10 kill the moles
and potato bugs-as preDosterOus as n man
who should blow up "A crowded steamer in
mld-Atlantic for the purpose of DESTROYING
the barnacleS on the bottom of the hulk
But what does the Bible say i'm regard To
TINS subJecti IL the Bible favors the in,titu-
non, Will favor it; if the Bible denounces it,
"lll denounce II. I'm addition 70 the fore.
cast oil Joseph in the text, call your alton
ton 10 Paul comparison. Here is one man
who, through neglect, fails - support his
family while he lives, or after he dies. Here
is another man, who abhOrs the Scriptures
ana REJECTS God. Which Of those men is the
worse Wei, you say, the latter Paul SAYS
the former. Paul says that "A man who neg-
iects TO care for his household is more obnoT-
lous than man who icct, the Scriptures:
he that Providcth not for his own. and espe-
clally those of his own household is worse
than an iutidCln Life insurance companies
help most Of us TO provide for our families
AFTER we are gone; but, il we have the money
10 pa5 the premiums and do not pay them,
we have no right 20 expect mercy at the hand
or God IN the judgment We are worse
than Tom Paine, worse than Noltaire.
and worse than Shaftesbury The Bible de-
clares tive are worse than an infidel
After the certificate Of death has been made
out, and thirty or sixty days haye passed. and .
the officer of the life insurance compauy
comes into the bereft household and D1yS
down the hard cash on an insurance policy.
tnaI oIncer OF the company is performing a
positively religious rite according to the
apostle James, who says: True religion
ana undeiiled before God and the Father is
tnis; 10 VISIT the tatherlcss and the widow
IN tnelr aiflctlon,' and so on. The religion
OF Christ proposes 10 take care OF the tenn
Poral wants oil the people as well as the spirit
val When HcZe ,iah was dying the iniune-
ton came 10 him. set thy house i'm
order, for thou shalt die and not live "
That injunction in our day would
mean; Make your viii; settle up your
accounts; make things plain don't de
celve your heirs with rolls Of worthless
mining stock; don't deceive them with
deeds for western lands that VIII never
yield any crop but chills and fever. don't
leave for them notes that have been out
IaWed. and 5ecOnI mortgages Ou property
that will not pay the first. "Set thy house
IN order. That l-, iiX up thing So your
golng out Of the world may max as little
CONSERVATION o. possible See the lean cattle
devouring the tat cattle. and boz the time Of
plenty prepare Tor the time " want The
difficulty Is, when men think OF their death.
they are afraid to think of 10 only iu counec-
ton with their spiritual welfare and NOT ~
the devastation iu tho household which viii
come because Of their emigration from it 10
IS meanly selfish for YOU 90 be- SD absorbed ina
the heaven 90 which you are going that Won
forget what is 20 become of Your wife and
children after you are dead You can Get
out Of this world without leaving d0llarand
yet die happy It you could not provide Tor
them; you can trust them iu the hands of the
Zoo VINO owns oII the Harve-t- and the herds
and the totEs. lut if you could pay the
premiums nu 20 policy and neglect thcmit isa
mean th.ug for you ~ go up t. heaven while
they 90 into the IoOrhousa You at death
move INTO mansion. river front and they
move into two rooms ON the fourth story of n
tenement house boz U10k street Whom they
are out GO The elbows and knees tua thought
Of your .pleudid robes ZOO Irf.s.u .tiI NOT Erar
them warm The minister may preach m
splendid orfuou over rnHr roma u.. and fns
quartet mo-. sing IKE four angels iu tie
ergan loft but your death win be- swinile.
"a nao Ile means % provide Tor tho com
IorJ or your hpus hold when sou left 10 and
you WICK I.y neglected 10 90 OH. saws some
one have more faith than you. believe
"ueh 70 ont D' This world fhs Lord
VIII provide for them" Go TO p'are.
wei Island. g1 through aif the u11rHgI.as
~ the country. nNI ] VIII show you how
%. tHn God provide for Tho uryIe.. e.I erIITra1
gi neglected. parents That Ie He prov. .os
Tor them through publ. Charts. AZ fgr
InFafii would rather Hara f.. ord u-gg.Ta
Ior my family In private bono. and ..r.I,n
my own industry and pIt.rIHl and rYu.uyII
Ialt1iuIne- But SAYS some fulu. .T moan
pr the uort ten or twenty ve.rs to mako "a
great fortune. and $50 shall ..a.. rue family
Wn'n g1 ont Of tdis word very c1nfurs.